The quality of our sleep affects our ability to perform daily tasks, overall satisfaction and state of mind, and most importantly, the body's ability to fight off illness. For some people, sleep comes as easily as walking in the bedroom. Their heads hit the pillow and they are out like a light bulb. But for many of us, sleep is a bit more tenuous.  Many people who experience difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep need to follow certain "rituals" at bedtime and avoid certain things during the day to help them sleep well at night. Before turning to prescription drugs, which tend to be highly addictive and often have undesirable side-effects, there are many simple things that people can do to achieve better sleep.  Even those without much trouble sleeping can benefit from many of these relaxation tips.

General Guidelines for Better Sleep

• Not everyone needs 8-9 hours of sleep a night. Pay attention to the particular needs of your body and adjust accordingly. If you usually wake up after six hours of sleep, your body may not need 8 hours. Instead of going to bed at 10 pm to get up at 6 am, got to bed at midnight and train your body to sleep constantly while in bed.
• Keep a regular schedule. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even weekends. This will help program your body to expect sleep at certain times and be more alert the rest of the time.
• Do not linger in your bed in the mornings. Try to get up right away and start moving with your morning activities. Open up the curtains and expose yourself to bright light soon after waking up. These tricks will help regulate your biological clock.
• Exercise at least thirty minutes a day, preferably in the morning or afternoon. Since exercise stimulates the body, doing so close to bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep.
• Keep a bedtime ritual that will help your body prepare for sleep. Take a warm bath, sip herbal tea, or settle down with a book right before going to bed.
• Do something relaxing for the hour before sleep, and move work-related activities to earlier on in the evening. Quiet activities are better, such as going on a slow walk, reading, meditation, or taking a nice long shower. If you like to watch TV before bed, keep it light, such as with a comedy. News shows and dramas tend to agitate the mind. If you like to read, try to avoid thrillers and other books that will keep you up wondering what's going to happen.
• If you wake up during the night and cannot get back to sleep, get up, go into another room, and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again. Worrying about not sleeping is often the reason people cannot get back to sleep.
• While counting sheep has helped many people, you can also try a visualization technique in which you focus on your toes or walking down an endless staircase. Or, imagine, one by one, all the different parts of your body relaxing and sinking into the bed. Focusing on mindless things can help you get to sleep.

Things to Avoid

• Do not drink coffee or caffeinated soft drinks after dinner and limit your consumption during the day. Although alcohol is a sedative, it can also interfere with normal sleep patterns.
• Do not smoke, especially after dinner. Nicotine is a stimulant and can make it hard to fall asleep.
• Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime which can cause indigestion and can upset your normal sleep cycle.
• Check to make sure your prescription drugs aren't nervous system stimulants.
• Avoid napping in the afternoon, or take short 10-15 minute cat naps.
• Don't socialize with friends with whom you are likely to argue in the evenings.

A Sleep-Happy Bedroom

• Make sure your bed is large enough and comfortable.  You probably need a larger bed if your bedmate is a restless sleeper. Try out different pillows to see what kind suits you best, whether soft or firm or somewhere in-between. Your mattress should not sag.
• Avoid the temptation to tuck in your sheets tight at the bottom of the bed. While this many look neat during the day, you will sleep better if your feet are free and unrestricted.
• If you prefer to sleep in complete darkness, make sure you have thick blinds or drapes.
• Keep your bedroom well-ventilated but not too cold (the optimum temperature for most people is around 68 degrees F). A ceiling fan is great in the warmer months and helps to provide "white noise," which blocks out other sounds and aids in sleep. Also, a humidifier is a good investment in the winter to keep your room warm and keep the air from drying out too much.
• Your bedroom should only be used for sleep and romance, rather than work, paying bills, etc. These more stressful activities should be moved to another room of your home. This will help your body recognize the space exclusively as one of rest.
• Try to make your bedroom your own personal oasis. Decorate your bedroom in colors that are soothing to you. Think about the places that you feel most at ease, and set up your room the same way. If you feel most relaxed by the ocean, try a beach motif with blue walls and a billowy, white canopy over your bed.
• Going with the oasis theme, certain sounds trigger relaxation for most people. If you love the ocean, play surf sounds in your bedroom as part of your bedtime ritual. If you love to doze out on the porch with the sun setting, try playing the soft sounds of crickets.
• Turn your alarm clock towards the wall. Focusing on the time while you are trying to sleep can make you anxious. Don’t worry about how many hours of sleep you are getting or how much longer until you have to get up. Let the alarm clock do the work.

Natural Sleep Aids

• Try snacking on small amounts of cheese or nuts before bed. These foods contain Trytophan, an amino acid which helps promote sleep.
• Take bone meal tablets or some form of calcium regularly after dinner.
• The classic warm glass of milk before bed really works. You can also try adding a teaspoon of brewer’s yeast and a tablespoon of molasses.
• A teaspoon of honey, or two teaspoons of cider vinegar with two teaspoons of honey, in a warm glass of water is also a common trick.
• Herbal teas such as chamomile and valerian help you fall asleep. Many tea brands offer nighttime varieties such as "Sleepy Time Tea."
• A nice warm bath before bed is a prime sleep aid. Try adding a tablespoon of dry mustard powder or baking soda to the bath water. Both help to soothe tired muscles. Try bath scents (or scented candles) that are soothing to you, such as lavender. An herbal footbath is also great for relaxation.
• Monitor your iron level because iron deficient women tend to have trouble sleeping. If your blood iron is low, an iron supplement may improve your sleep.

Dorm/Apartment Living- Trying to sleep in a dorm, often with another person in your "bedroom," or in a crowded apartment/apartment building presents its own set of challenges. Here are some tips to help you sleep (and keep your sanity):

• If you live in a dorm room and have a roommate, talk with him and her about sleeping habits. If you need complete darkness and your roommate likes to fall asleep with a reading light, be honest and upfront about your needs, and discuss in terms of compromise. If your roommate likes to listen to music, suggest headphones or a quiet radio on their side of the room.
• While you cannot move work activities out of your bedroom in dorm style living, at least try not to perform such tasks in or on your bed. If you don’t like constantly studying/working at your desk, try out different coffee shops or, if there is room, set up a reading nook in your room with a comfy chair or some giant pillows.
• One last word: Earplugs. Keep several pairs in a small plastic case somewhere around your bed. Not only are they the solution to a noisy room or building, but they also create a very effective kind of meditation in which you focus on your own breathing.